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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#235: Running Wild

Every day, countless people around the world participate in some form of running, from jogs to ultramarathons. And that simple act of putting one foot in front of another is a deceptively meaningful one; it’s something that transcends pure sport, and that can be used as a metaphor for various life experiences.

Running has a powerful psychological effect, as it often mirrors or influences our mental state. Just think about how often it pops up as an image in literature, to express a character's behavior or mindset (think running on empty, moving in circles, heading towards trouble, escaping problems, racing against time, and so on). This week, let's explore the theme of running and some of its interpretations in storytelling.

This week's prompts

Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Adventure – 37 stories

Write a story in which a character is running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Angst – 122 stories

Make a race an important element of your story.

Narrative – 44 stories

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Character – 42 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Dialogue – 65 stories

Stories

“Family Competition” by Stefani Brough

Submitted to Contest #235

Mark wasn't really a runner. He could sprint, but only for a short period of time. He could jog, as long as the pace was slow and and the ground was flat. Uphill, that was a battle he could barely win, but downhill, he would probably fall on his face. It's unfortunate that now, with his hands swinging frantically at his sides in the same manner as his feet running across the grass, he is forced to run as if his life depended on it. Perhaps his life does depend on it; who knows what she'll do if she catches him. The woman chasing hi...

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“The Beast in My Brother. ” by Anika Saikia

Submitted to Contest #235

The trees shadowed her running form, the sound of leaves unsettling to her already adrenaline-filled heart. It wasn’t every day she could play with her brother, and so she decided to make the most out of the moment. Apparently, her brother was a scary one, a type of scary she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but scary. The one word was enough. Sometimes, he was sweet, and that was the part of him that she treasured. She believed that he was a good person, one with beautiful intentions and a warm heart, but others didn’t believe that. And she didn’t ...

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“Out of the Darkness” by Ron Rawls

Submitted to Contest #235

Raindrops bleed into his eyes as he runs along the deserted road, his bare feet slopping through its muddy surface. Got to get off this road. Get in the forest. He turns, hops the water filled ditch and races toward the trees. The earth shakes with thunder. Streaks of electricity shock the clouds and they cry out spitting drops of water so thick and fast it makes it impossible to see. Still, he races on, chasing freedom from the demons haunting his very soul. He stops at the forests edge, half bending with his hands on his knee...

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“never again” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #235

You see him. His face is lit by the firelight lapping up from the barrel in front of him. He is wrapped in a silver emergency blanket over his tank top and running shorts. The air is cold and as he talks to the runner next to him, you can see his breath. Busses are arriving as dawn threatens. Athletes are pouring into the open space that is book ended by Honeybuckets. He hasn’t realized that you are staring at him because of the chaos of eager runners bouncing to keep their legs warm.You haven’t seen him since the courtroom. They finalized t...

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“Run” by Tracey Scown

Submitted to Contest #235

Daron was a football and baseball star in high school. Living in Texas, being a football star was a status symbol. Athletes with any ability in any area were expected to contribute to the Friday night pigskin ritual. Being part of the football team made him feel like a celebrity. On Friday mornings, Daron would line up with his team members to parade into a gym full of fans and scantily clad cheerleaders chanting, “Mojo, mojo, mojo….”, (the team’s catch phrase.) He found the chorus quite intoxicating. The accolades were not as dra...

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“Motherhood” by Teagan Townsend

Submitted to Contest #235

In – two – three, out – two – three. Thump, Thump, Thump. My feet pound against the ground, stirring up dust and sending grains of gravel flying. My legs feel strong, capable. I relish this feeling. My next breath is deep and steady, infusing oxygen in my blood and giving my legs a burst of enthused speed which I struggle to reign in. This run is about pacing, not racing. I’m not trying to show off in a sprint, but rather demonstrate consistency and capability. I can run 10km while keeping my breathing steady. I can do it. I can feel t...

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“From the Treeline We Came Running” by Samuel Peach

Submitted to Contest #235

I don’t know why it’s the first thing I recall, but I vividly remember thinking about my trainers as I ran that day. See, what they’d done is just beneath the shoe’s sole, the rubber was in a kinda cross-hatch pattern to keep the heel supported. I know that now, but at the time I thought they did it – get this – so that when the flimsy fabric soles wore out, you had no choice but to replace em’ right away. They’d dig right into your skin if you didn’t. Used to give you the worst blisters you’d ever seen in your life and when you’re moving li...

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“We All Know Not to Mess With Bears” by Anecia Van Wyk

Submitted to Contest #235

I don’t know how much longer I can run. The forest looms in shadows, each tree a specter closing in on me. Moonlight filters through the dense canopy, casting eerie patterns on the ground. The distant growl of the bear echoes, sending shivers down my spine. He’s closing in. Although I cannot see him, I know he's there, somewhere behind me, like that uncanny feeling when someone’s gaze pins you down. I sense him. I sprint over tangled roots and carpets of fallen leaves. The air is thick with the scent of pine, each breath a struggle against...

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“Inga the Supernova” by Sid Lee

Submitted to Contest #235

In a galaxy far, far away-it seems that's where her head is at these days. Or maybe it's with her twin brother in the wormy soil. She sits stooped in the shade of the tree at a park near campus, the lunch Vaso made sat in her lap half eaten even when it wasn't a big portion. It is half of what Vaso usually makes for himself. Vaso meets her under the tree, squatting next to her, eyeing the lunchbox and then her with thin lips. "No appetite again?" Vaso asked. "I've no appetite for anything, really. Everything disgusts me." Inga didn...

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“The Nothing” by Sam Magmin

Submitted to Contest #235

With every footfall echoing through the vacant forest, Milo became more and more aware of the Nothing. The feeling crawling down his spine told him he must be being chased- but there was not a sound nearby nor a person in sight. His skin crawled with certainty nonetheless; he was being pursued. His footsteps sang alone in the evening air as he sprinted between trees. It was almost worse, this quiet. It would’ve been easier if he could hear a threat behind him, easier if he could tell how close his life was to ending. Now, though, he heard no...

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“Keeping Up” by Eleanor J Winstanley

Submitted to Contest #235

A suitable starting point to my story might lie in an explanation as to how 'keeping up the pace' and metaphorically running a race, took shape for me.Nearly twenty years ago while in my twenties, I successfully kept ahead; I was fit (in all senses of the word), popular, reached degree status, claimed total financial independence and the world sat, as I'd wanted it to, invitingly at my feet. I was content with my place.Although, after some years of grandeur, an irritating thought whizzed about in my mind, like a trapped fly: worrying that ti...

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“Jesus Leaves the Nest” by Sabrina Ash

Submitted to Contest #235

“I don’t know yet, Dad. Do I have to decide right now?”“Well gee son, I don’t know. Do you want to get into a good, Christian college?”“Dad, --”“St. Paul University is hard to get into, they have a long waitlist—"“Dad, --”“Our Lady of Love Bible college is having a student tour nextweekend—”“Dad, --”“Junior year is when you should start taking this seriously, son, Imean this is your future after all—”“DAD! I don’t even know if I want to go to a Christian college.”“What? Of course you do, you’ve wanted to ever since you were10, remember?!.”“N...

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“Shadowed Steps” by Jakida Sam

Submitted to Contest #235

Jason woke up this morning with a jolt. His heart was racing, flooding his ears with a thudding sound in tune with his heartbeat. “What just happened?” he asked himself, frantically looking around his room. As he regained his composure, he took a deep breath to calm down and glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the right side of his bed. It blared “3 am” in a white glow, complementary to the ghost hour, known for nightmares and the occasional demon in the corner, but he was never one to believe in such superstitions. As he took off his newl...

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“Tiat” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #235

Tiat lived in the wild. As far as he knew he was the only person who did. The woman who taught him to read had died, her house collapsed in a storm. That is what happens with natural things, they return to the ground, so it was of no concern to him. The woman herself was in the ground now.What did concern him was that things were changing. The trees were leafless and covered with ivy up to their crowns. There were no spring buds, in fact there was no sound except for the crows. The crust of leaves on the ground was from three years ago, brig...

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“Running, to myself” by Scarlett Jane

Submitted to Contest #235

Running, To Myself They say don’t run from something, run to something. I’ve ran my entire adult life – to get in shape for lacrosse season in high school, to destress during finals in college, to combat cycles of depression, to strength my body, to run through the sickening need to be a certain weight. I am not a competitive runner, except with myself. While running, I am free – all I need is a pair of sneakers, a semblance of a road or path, and in a few steps, my incessant mind begins to quiet and all I hear is my breath. What a beautifu...

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$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 02, 2024 EST

Won by Kajsa Ohman 🏆

Title: KILLER IN THE WILLOWS

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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